1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an analog-to-digital converter. More particularly, the present invention relates to an analog-to-digital converter with a pipelined architecture.
2. Description of Related Art
Analog-to-digital converters (also called A/D converters or ADCs) are common construction blocks of electronic systems which process physical signals from transducers, electronic signal generating circuits, etc. In order to generate reliable digital signals by the A/D converter, not only circuits in the A/D converter should be well designed, but also the analog signals inputted into the A/D converter and transformed by the A/D converter have to be concerned. For example, if an analog signal with a large offset or an analog signal with a large swing is inputted into the A/D converter, the analog signal may be out of the operating range of the A/D converter. As a result, the A/D converter cannot perform well and convert the analog signal into the required digital signal.